Air circulating means for refrigerator cars



Oct. 5, 1943. A. E. SMALL AIR ,CIRCULA'VIING MEANS FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed Aug. 3, 1942 5 Sheets- Sheet 1 Oct. 5, 1943. A. E. SMALL AR CIRCULATING MEANS FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 3

nvenaf /'Z'haffmall Oct. 5, 1943. A. E. SMALL AIRCIRCULA'ING MENS FOR REFRIGERATOR ARS 5 Sheets-Sheet '5 .MSS

Filed Aug. s. 1942 Patented Oct. 5, 1943 Ain CLRCULATING MEANS y.non nEFniGERAroR CARS Arthur E. Small, Porter, Ind., assignor to Standard Railway Devices Company, Chicago, Ill., -a

corporation of Delaware Application August 3, 1942, Serial No. 453,453

Claims. (Cl. (i2-.171)

j loading refrigerant into'a container 'E side WallA 'Ihis invention relates 'to refrigerator cars used to transport perishable commodities at a predetermined temperature. The essential features of arefrigerator car are an insulated body to prevent or "retard 'ingress of heat during warm weather and, egress of heat during cold weather and a cooling means and preferably a heating means to be used lduring warm and cold weather respectively.

This invention applies particularly to cars in which the cooling means, preferably containers for water ice, eutectic ice, brine or dry ice, are disposed immediately below the roof of the car. The lading is supported in spaced relation to the iloor by a foraminous rack. Flues, preferably associatedwith the side walls of the car, communicate between the cooling means and the space under the floor'rack to provide a path for the circulation of air. The path is from the cooling means downwardly through the aforementioned flues, through the space under the door rack, Vupwardly through the lading compartment thereby cooling the lading, and finally to the-cooling means from where the cycle is repeated. l e

The `above mentioned circulation of air is a natural thermo-convective circulation and under certain conditions may not be adequate to properly circulate a sufficient amount of cold air through the interior of the car to properly refrigerate the lading. v

An object of the invention is toprovide a power driven fan for circulating air within the car and to provide ducts to direct the forced air circulation in substantially the same path as is followed by natural convective circulation in a sirnilar car.

Another object is to provide the above mentioned forced air circulation without substantially interfering with the natural convective circulation which takes place when the fan is inoperative.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description by referring to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a transverse section through a refrigerator car embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

The general parts of the refrigerator car shown are insulated roof A; side walls B, end wall C; floor D; refrigerant containers E; hatch F for 'ues G; foraminous kfloor rack'H and space -I between theV rack I-I and the `floor D. Spaced apartrefrigerant containers Eare positioned imn mediate-ly below the roof A and respectively adjacent theside walls B. A` drip pan K is provided below 'each'r container E and al partition Lis dis; posed in an upstanding position 'at the edge of each kdrip pan K, `the vdrip pans Kand'the parti# tions L cooperating with the ro'of AV and the lupper parts ofthe 'side walls B to form enclosures M around the containers E. Air inlet openings N to the 'enclosures Mare provided above the partitions L and air'discharge 'openings P leadfrom the enclosures M to the flues "G ata llower eleva'- tion than the air inlet openings N. Cars 'of this type common-ly have a row of refrigerant containers 'E near each side wall B, which containers are spaced apart longitudinally of the car to provide air passages between the ends of the containers. The `partitions L are spaced apart to form a duct Q 4which communicates between the lading compartment R and openings N.

When the air circulating means is inoperative,

a natural yconvective air Acirculation takes place as follows:

Air in the lading compartment R. is warmed by contact with the lading `and rises through the duct Q to enter the enclosing structures M through "the air inlet openings `N. The vair then flows through the passages -S between the containers E and `drip pans K where `it is cooled by contact with the bottoms of the cold vrefrigerant containers E and falls by reason of its lower temperature and therefore greater density through the discharge openings Pand iiuesrG to the'space J 'whence yitises through the rack II-l `to the lading compartment R. `Theabove described cycle is thereafter continuously repeated.

A pair of centrifugal fans 2 are disposed substantially above the duct Q adjacent one of the end walls C of the car and arranged to revolve upon a substantially horizontal, transversely extending axis 3. A pair of spaced apart discharge flues 4 are disposed substantially above the duct Q extending lengthwise of the car and arranged f to receive air discharged from the respective fans 2. Branch conduits 5 communicating with the ues 4 depend therefrom and extend between the refrigerant containers E and the adjacent partitions L. Elbows 6 on the lower ends of the refrigerant containers E in the same manner as the naturally circulating air is cooled.

A return air conduit 8 kis disposed above the duct Q and between the discharge flues 4. The return air conduit 8 also extends lengthwise of the car and leads to the inlet openings to the fans 2. Openings 9 in the bottom wall H of the conduit 8 are provided so that air viiowing from the lading compartment R upwardly through the duct Q may enter the conduit 8 and may then be directed to the fans 2. It is pointed out that the flues 4 and conduit 8 are spaced a substantial distance above the upper edges of the partitions L and that the branch conduits 5 obstruct only a small part of the space between the containers E and the adjacent partitions L so that natural air circulation is not substantially obstructed.

A pair of fans 2 are preferably disposed adjacent each end wall C of the car and may bedriven by any suitable means.y The means disclosed comprises a pulley 'l2 engaged with a wheel i4 of the car and operably connected to the fans 2 by means of a belt l5; miter gears Il below the floor D of the car; avertically extending shaft i8 and miter gears 28 connecting the upper end of the vertical shaft I8 Vwith the horizontally extending shaft 2| uponwhich the fans 2 are mounted..

The accompanying drawingsillustrate the ypresaid air circulating means disposed above said duct and having a perforated lower side and a discharge flue disposed on either side of said conduit arranged to receive air from said air circulating means and to discharge the air into said passages.

3. In combination with spaced apart walls and the roof of a refrigerator car, spaced apart refrigerant containers below the roof, means cooperating with each of said containers to form an air cooling passage adjacent the container, said means comprising a drip pan spaced below the container and an upstanding member spaced from a wall of the container, the members being ferred form of the` invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that Various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, willoccur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

l. In combination with spaced apart walls and the roof of areirigerator car, spaced apart refrigerant containers below the roof, means cooperating with each ci said containers to form an air cooling passage adjacent the container, means to icrni a vertically extending duct between said containers, Vcirculating means in the upper part of the car,v a return air conduit leading to said air circulating means disposed above said duct and having a perforated lower side and flue means arranged to receive air from said air circulating means and to discharge the air into said passages ldistributively along the length thereof.

2. In combinationwith spaced apart walls and the roof of a refrigerator car, spaced apartfrefrigerantcontainers below the roof, means cooperating with each of said containers to form an air cooling passage adjacent thecontainer, means to form a vertically extending duct between said containers, air circulating means in the upper part of the car,` a yreturn air conduit leading to spaced apart to form a duct, air circulating means, a return air conduit leading to said air circulating means substantially coextensive with said duct and arranged to receive air therefrom and flue means arranged to receive air from said air circulating means and to discharge the air into said passages.

4. In combination with spaced apart walls and the roof of a refrigerator car, spaced apart refrigerant containers below the roof, means cooperating with each of said containers to form an air cooling passage adjacent the container, said means comprising a drip pan spaced below the container and an upstanding member spaced from a wall of the container, the members being spaced apart to form a duct air circulating means, a return air conduit leading to said air circulating means disposed above said duct and having a perforated lower side, a discharge flue disposed on either side of said conduit arranged to receive air from said air Circulating means and branch conduits depending from said flues between said containers and said members and arranged to discharge air into said passages.

5.` In combination with spaced apart walls and the roof of a refrigerator car, spaced apart refrigerant containers below the roof, means cooperating with each of said containers to form an air cooling passage adjacent the container, means to form a vertically extending duct between said containers, air circulating means in the upper part of the car, a return air conduit leading to said air circulating means substantially coextensive with said duct and arranged to receive air therefrom and flue means arranged to receive air from said air circulating means and to discharge the air into said passages, said air circulating means disposed adjacent an end of the car and said duct, conduit and flue means extending substantially along the longitudinal center line of the car.

ARTHUR E. SMALL. 

